Dr. C: Boston and the End to the Endless War
Maiello's Book-Almost Hits the Metaphorical Stands
Miami Fans Mistakenly Chant "Let's Go Eat" During Playoff Game
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Dr. C: Boston and the End to the Endless War Maiello's Book-Almost Hits the Metaphorical Stands Miami Fans Mistakenly Chant "Let's Go Eat" During Playoff Game |
Shouts & |
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama banned the controversial drone program here today, and reaction to the move was swift, as every other country on the planet immediately announced they would do the same, even France, which has a well-earned reputation of being a pain in the ass on these types of matters.
The move to ban drones was met by complete bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, with even staunch defense supporters like warmongering angry white guy Sen. John McCain giving it a thumbs up.
"This is just great," said McCain, who appeared to be choking on something. "Really, great."
Many experts, like William K. Wolfrum, the writer of this blog post, had said getting a handle on the drone issue was vital and would require a great deal of work.
"Getting a handle on the drone issue was vital and would require a great deal of work," said Wolfrum, who just lazily cut-and-pasted that. "I had assumed it would require a bipartisan, national and international movement. But, what the hell do I know?"
Aside from banning all future drones, Obama signed an executive order to destroy all available drones, cease work on them, release all documents regarding drone usage, accuse himself of war crimes, impeach himself and give himself a lengthy jail sentence. Obama said that someone finally told him that predator drones have killed untold innocent civilians in nations like Yemen and Pakistan, and that killing civilians only further increases radicalization.
"They told me that and I was like, 'Woah,' and stuff," said Obama. "If I killed innocent civilians, I must be jailed for war crimes. I would have no moral standing if I didn't. Also, I was born in Kenya."
In other news to further showcase how over-the-top this post has become, the stars of "Finding Bigfoot," today found Bigfoot, who, for all intents and purposes, seems like a fine fellow. It's goal achieved, the show has been cancelled to make room for "Bigfoot & Honey Boo Boo."
--WKW
Crossposted at William K. Wolfrum Chronicles
By Simon Romero, New York Times, May 24/25, 2013
RIO DE JANEIRO — The attacks have stunned this city. In one, an assailant held a gun to the head of a 30-year-old woman while raping her in front of passengers on a bus as the driver proceeded down a main avenue. In another, a 14-year-old girl from a hillside slum was raped on one of Rio’s most famous stretches of beach.
In yet another case, men abducted and raped a working-class woman in a transit van as it wended through densely populated areas. The police failed to investigate, and a week later the same men raped a 21-year-old American student in the same van, pummeling her face and beating her male companion with a metal bar. [.....]...
Really good article at Daily Kos - precipitated by the Skagit River bridge collapse. I hope all the Daggers are having a good Memorial Day weekend - keep our fallen soldiers' sacrifice in your hearts.
By Karl Vick, Time Magazine, May 22, 2013
For the cleric who runs Iran, there’s no such thing as a pleasant surprise, especially on election day. Ayatullah Ali Khamenei was not pleased when a librarian named Mohammed Khatami was swept into the President’s office in 1997, leading a wave of reformists who challenged the status quo in which Khamenei, as the unelected Supreme Leader of the Revolution, was most heavily invested. In every election cycle since, the self-appointed portion of Iran’s government has done all it can to winnow the choices placed before Iranian voters. On Tuesday, that system tightened the screen once more, ...
By Eric Lipton & Ben Protess, New York Times, May 23/24, 2013
WASHINGTON — Bank lobbyists are not leaving it to lawmakers to draft legislation that softens financial regulations. Instead, the lobbyists are helping to write it themselves.
One bill that sailed through the House Financial Services Committee this month — over the objections of...
By Jane Perlez, New York Times, May 24-25, 2013
BEIJING — The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, bluntly told a North Korean envoy Friday that his country should return to diplomatic talks designed to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, according to a state-run Chinese news agency.
“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace on the peninsula is what the people want and also the trend of the times,” Mr. Xi said in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People with Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a personal envoy of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the China News Service reported.
Vice Marshal Choe, who has been in Beijing for three days on a mission to...